Light at the End
by Lioness075
Summary: Gotta love the ending to the trilogy, right? Wrong. I hated that ending more than anything, especially with all of the relationships I worked so hard on creating within the game between my female Shepherd and the others. I've decided to expand the story directly after the grand finale. As much as I hated to see the Mass Relays destroyed, I'm still going to work with that fact.
1. Chapter 1

_**Awaken**_

* * *

All I could remember was the screaming. The endless screaming and physical torment of my numerous injuries spanning my body as I limped towards that light at the end of the street. The light that would take me to my final battle. The galaxy's final confrontation with either its end or its new beginning. All of this while a red laser beam rained down on the men and women around me as everyone pushed forward for that small chance that I, of all people, would make it to that light at the top of the small ramp. Many fell that day. I should have fallen with them, but I didn't. Why me? What made me so special that millions would fall around me...and I would be left standing alone?

Dimly, I can hear a voice or two around me, but I feel nothing, see nothing. I've faded to the edge of life and death, and can foresee myself falling over the edge. I'm not even sure if I'm still breathing or alive anymore. Is this what death feels like? Is it supposed to feel so peaceful and yet, morbid? I hear a low groan and realize with a start that it came from me. I'm still alive, but where am I?

Then there's shouting, which sounds distant and yet, so near to me. **"She's alive, hurry up and get a medic over here, ASAP!" "She's barely there, but we can still save her!" **I can hear the shouting, as my ears continue to ring, but can't bring myself to physically react to anyone or anything. I feel physically immobile and my mind is still buried deep within myself. All I can do is listen and mentally process what little I know of what's happening around me. It's like I've been put into a physical and mental lockdown where all I can really do is listen.

Why save me? Why can't anyone just let me die? As morbid as these thoughts may seem, I've already died once before and it felt final at that time. At the time, I'd been okay with my death. My crew had been saved and lived to see another day, with me sacrificing my own life for that of my pilot's. He was a damned good pilot too, and I was content when I knew that my life had been lost for his. Yet, two years later and I was waking up to find myself alive and well again. Resurrected like Lazarus, as if this was a perfectly okay thing to do to someone. I have to live with so many people's deaths now. I've had the same nightmare for weeks because of my damned resurrection. Why couldn't I be left to rest in piece?

This supposed death was going to be different. Admiral Anderson was dead, I watched the life leave his eyes while he sat at my side in the Citadel. For all I knew, the rest of my crew was dead as well. The blast wave from the Crucible alone was probably more than enough to kill all of them. Best of all? My two best men were dead as well. Kaidan and Garrus had been the best damned soldiers to have at my sides. A renegade and a true soldier whom had both saved my life countless times. I couldn't possibly pay them back for everything they'd done for me. Yet, as I'd climbed that ramp to my final confrontation, I'd seen them. On the ground and among the other bodies, Garrus had been a bloodied mess with half of his face completely enveloped in deep blood, seemingly gone too. Kaidan had been sitting with his back against some rubble, but the way his head was against is chest and he didn't move an inch was enough evidence to make it clear. Neither of them were ever getting up again.

I can still hear the distant chattering around me and vaguely feel my body being moved onto something. A stretcher or litter, perhaps? Why can't they just leave me to die on my own? There wasn't going to be any peace left out there for me. I swear that I saw the Mass Relays being destroyed in the midst of the Crucible's damaging blow. We'd all be grounded for years to come until those were reconstructed properly. That was only if we actually had some blueprints lying around for them, which I doubted. Yet, as much as I wanted to believe it had all been just a vision, I'd seen the Crucible in person. I'd felt the flames engulfing my body as I'd proudly held up my handgun and fired at it. Shrapnel had flown around me and smoke had surrounded and blinded me as I'd made my decision. The Reapers would never decide the galaxy's fate again.

Yet, in the midst of all of this, something had let me live. Had it been the Catalyst? Why would it let me continue to live though? If I recalled correctly, it had told me that my life would end upon making the decision that I'd chosen. I was supposed to be dead right now, but I could dimly feel the medi-gel beginning to flow into my system. I took a step back from the edge and was soon limping away from it, getting further away from death and closer to the light at the end.


	2. Chapter 2

Survival

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As my thoughts finally seemed to settle for the time being, my vision finally returned to me in all of its unfocused and blurry glory. On the bright side, I could at least make out that I was in some med-bay on a ship. As to what ship I was on, that was completely unknown. If I was lucky, I was on the Normandy and headed to the Citadel. There were numerous ways I could be unlucky, so I left those in the dark since none of them would be pleasant to think about.

Needless to say, while I teetered on the edge of consciousness and lack thereof, the doctors and nurses around me worked furtively to stabilize my condition. Surprisingly enough, they managed to do so. In doing so, the ringing in my ears finally diminished and I could hear normally again. The voices around me were mostly about my condition and while they were all whispering, it sounded like I was overall in rough condition. Apparently, I was lucky that they'd found me when they did. Otherwise, I would've died. Oh darn.

My thoughts were interrupted by a voice at my side that I didn't recognize, **"You're going to make it, okay?"** Slowly, I shifted my gaze to a nurse by me, who was giving me a reassuring smile. I was too exhausted and still in too much pain to bother giving her a response, but apparently my gaze was enough to tell the nurse that I was going to truly make it. Nodding at me, the nurse then walked away and rejoined the others as they continued working on me. Now that I was stable, they were intently examining every inch of my body to figure out the extent of my injuries and where to focus on first. That was going to be a field day for them.

I shouldn't have survived this battle, this war. Not with how many of my fellow comrades had fallen around me. It was just like Akuze all over again, except this time I was coming out of it with emotional and physical scars. I'd never live this one down. God, the list of those who I assumed I'd lost was traumatizing. Kaidan, Liara, Tali, Garrus, EDI, Joker, the list goes on and on. You name them, they were most likely dead now. Why did I have to continue to live with this kind of knowledge? To know that your friends and family were dead and that you were all that was left. That crew had been my family. Now they were gone. Why me?

Suddenly, my vision goes black and all of my senses begin to fade as I hear a rapid beating of a machine beside me and everyone is suddenly running around and shouting. In the midst of the shouting, I hear the door open and suddenly a familiar voice joins the others, but I can't figure out who it is before I completely pass out. I guess I wasn't destined to live after all. Not too long after everything goes black, I open my eyes to see that I'm in the nightmare again. I'm in the middle of a forest that's been burned to the ground, except for some tree trunks that are still standing. As I look around, there are dark figures that seem to be made of mist as their images are constantly contorting. Then I see him, the small child that I hadn't been able to save on Earth when the Reapers first struck. Running after him soon proves to be as helpful as it has always been. I'm beyond slow and every step seems to be as heavy as the next. It's like I'm wearing some heavy suit or armor, but I'm not.

As I run through the barren forest and the crowds of dark figures, I begin to hear the voices. I recognize each and every one of them. Mordin speaks first, **"Ah, Shepherd. You're here now." **Then it's Wrex, **"Shepherd! What are you doing here?" **I almost stop at the next voice, which is Kaidan's, **"Shepherd...please." **I feel nonexistent tears rolling down my face at his voice and want to run to him, but he's nowhere to be seen. Just another voice in this void. As I round another tree with the child in the distance, I hear Tali's voice, **"Huh, I wasn't proud of being called vas Normandy at first, but now I couldn't be prouder." **Why won't the voices just stop already? My heart feels like it's cracking as each voice is hear. Getting closer to the child, who is now kneeling down and staring at the ground, I hear Liara's voice, **"Shepherd, I've wanted to do this for a while now, but there never seemed to be the right opportunity for it. Can we do it now?" **I grimace at this memory, the moment when Liara melded her mind with mine. A truly rare opportunity with any Asari as it was their most cherished thing to do with anyone. We'd done it together just before I'd left for my final mission.

Slowing to a walk as I neared the child, I abruptly came to a halt. My heart rose in my throat as I watched the child slowly stand and then my crew began to appear around him. My eyes went down the line as I watched everyone appearing. Liara, Garrus, Tali, Wrex, Grunt, Admiral Hackett, Dr. Chakwas, Admiral Anderson, Joker, and Kaidan. My family, who was now dead after recent events. Then I suddenly appeared in the middle of the group, the child standing up at my side while I wrapped an arm around his shoulder. For a moment, nothing happened as my crew and myself stared back at me with blank expressions. Then it began. The flames slowly climbed all of our bodies until we were all engulfed in flames and dead.

The dream ended abruptly with me waking up with a sharp intake of breath and the machine by my bed beating rapidly with my heart. My eyes quickly took in my surroundings and I forced myself to relax as I recognized the hospital room. It was where Kaidan had been after he'd been nearly killed on Mars. I was back in the Citadel. Looking down at my body, I quickly realized that I could see nothing out of my right eye. It was covered in wrapping and I could only hope that I would be able to retain my vision in it. I then looked down at my body to see that I was covered in wrappings from my arms to my abdomen, and on various parts of my legs. My arms were wrapped from my fingertips all the way to my shoulders. Just how badly had I been burned? The sleeves to my uniform and where my abdomen was wrapped had been torn off, whereas my pants were only torn in specific parts that were now covered in wrappings. There were patches of dried blood on some off the wrapping, but I wasn't dying just yet.

After taking inventory of the extent of my injuries as best as I can, I look to my right and my heart skips a beat at who I find sitting beside me with his head on the edge of my bed while he's asleep. It's Kaidan. He's alive. Silent tears streak down my face as I stare at him, taking in the completely wrapped arm, from hand to shoulder, but otherwise seeming to be okay from the battle. With his uniform on, it's hard to tell what other injuries he may have, but he's alive and he's here. I guess the rapid beating of the machine had been a tad noisy, even though it was slowing now, as Kaidan's eyes slowly opened and he lifted his head with a yawn that was interrupted by his shock as he saw that I was awake. His face instantly broke out into an expression of joy and he smiled as he slowly lifted his healthy hand to wipe the streaking tears off of my face. Kaidan was alive.


End file.
